Washing machine



July 27,1926. 1,594,22

H. F. VIEAU ET AL WASHING MACHINE Original Filed &5 5, 1925 2 Slams-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY.

H. F. VlEAU ET AL WASHING MACHINE 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IINYENTORS aldfifVzeaw Mgw JOJVeglb,

ATTORNEY.

Patented July 27, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD F. VIEAU, OF LIVERPOOL, BOY C. HIGBY, OF BIG- MOOSE,

AND nnwnnn J.

ONEILL, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

WASHING MACHINE.

Original application filed September 5,1925, Serial No. 54,770. Divided and. this application filed March 5, 1926. Serial No. 92,542.

This invention relates to washing machines and is a division of our joint application filed September 5, 1925, Serial Nunr ber 1,770, and has for its object to pro vide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a washing machine of the pounder type for expeditiously and satisfactorily washing clothes.

A. further object of the invention is to provide in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a machine for the purpose referred to having a washing chamber and means to prevent the piling up of the clothes at the center of the bottom thereof during the washing step.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a machine of the class referred to with a washing chamber having arranged there in a vertically operable pounder i'nechanism of the vacuum type and whereby said mech anism can be quickly positioned within and removed from said chamber, when it is desired to supply soiled clothes thereto and to remove washed clothes therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a machine of the class referred to having a pounder mechanism of the vacuum type provided with means to prevent the pounder elements, vacuum cups, from collapsing due to the overloading of the washing chamber with clothes and water and further to provide for the automatic adjustment of said elements with respect to different loads of clothes applied to the washing chamber.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a washing machine of the class referred to and in the manner as hereinafter set forth, and which is simple in its construction and arrangement, strong, durable, compact, thoroughly efficient and convenient in its use, readily assembled, andcomparatlvely inexpensive to manufacture.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be under stood that changes, va"riations and modificapurpose to be presently referred to.

tions can be resorted to which fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended. 1n the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views Figure 1 is a section on line 11, Figure 4 of a washing machine of the pounder type, in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view taken on line 22, Figure 1. I

Figure 3 is a fragmentary View, in section, of bearing element for a shaft section of the pounder mechanism.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a washing ma hine in accordance with this invention and illustrating the pounder elements in dotted lines.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 denotes a mobile support which has secured to its top a platform 6, provided with a continuous depending flange 7 at the edges thereof. The platform 6 is formed with a raised portion 9 for a purpose to be presently referred to. Reinforcing webs 10 depend from the lower face of the platform 6 and are formed integral with the flanges 7. The longitudinal flanges 7 of the platform 6, are provided with openings 11 for a purpose to be presently referred to. Depending from the central part of the raised portion 9 of the plat form 6, are spaced, short, longitudinally extending flanges 12 and spaced short horizontally disposed flanges 13 which are in tegral with each other, and formed in connection with a housing 13 is a chamber 14.

The housing 13 is of the open top type and is secured to the flanges 13 by the holdfast devices 15. The side walls of the housing 13 are formed with openings 16 for a The lower end of the housing 18 has journalled therein, as well as projecting therefrom, a shaft 17 provided with a worm 18. Extending through the openings 11, as well as the openings 16, is the operating shaft 19 for a pounder mechanism to be hereinafter referred to. Carried by the shaft 19, and arranged within the chamber 14, as well as meshing with the worm 18, is a worm gear 20. The shaft 19 projects a substantial distance from each of the longitudinal flanges 7 of the platform 6. Each end of the shaft 19 is provided with a crank arm, and which are indicated at 21, 22 and with the crank arm 21 oppositely disposed with respect to the crank arm 22.

Supported from the platform 6, is an electric motor 23, having one end of its shaft 24 coupled with one end of the shaft 17, as at 25.

Mounted on the raised part 9 of the platform 6, as well as projecting from the sides and rear end ofsaid part 9, is a tub 58 which provides a washing chamber 59. The bottom 60 of the chamber 39 conforms in contour to the shape of the raised part- 9 of tlie platform 6 and by this arrangement the clothes within the chamber 59 are prevented from piling up at the center there of during the washing step. Each side of the tub 58 is formed with an opening 6i, between its longitudinal center and the top thereof. The openings 61 are arranged in alignment and are provided for the extend ing into the chamber 59 of an oscillatory me chanisnr connected with the pounder mechanism for the purpose of reciprocating thepounder elements the vacuum cup.

The oscillatory mechanism comprises a pair of driving, rods 62, 68 arranged ex.- teriorly of the side walls of the tab 58. The lower end of the rod (32 is coupledv with the crank arm 22, as at 6 3 and the lower end of the rod Gills coupled with the crank arm 21 as at The upper ends of the rods 62,, (53 are provided with yokes 66, 67. Remoyably mounted in the chamber 59 and extending, transversely thereof is an oscil latory shaft formed of a series of sections and! these latter are indicated at 69, 7 O and. 71. The sections 68, 69 are arranged lengthwise with respect to each other and theinner euds of said sections oppose each other and are coupled together by a bearing sleeve 72. The sections 68 and 69am of like construction and are oppositely disposed with respect to each other and the outer terminal portion of each of said sec tions is of polygonal, contour, as indicated at 73. The sections'70, 71 are of like con struction and each of which has an outer r duced cylindrical portion 74 and an inner polygonal shaped portion 75. The section 7 O is associa ed with the section and the polygonal portion 75 of the section opposes the polygonal portion 73of the section 68. -The section 71 is associated. with the section 69 and the arrangement of the section 71 with respect tot'he section 69 is the same as the arrangement of the section 70 with respect ta the section 68. The section 7 0, as well as the section 71, at the point of joinder of the intermediate part thereof with the polygonal shapedinner part is formed with a laterally extending annular flange 76 of greater diameter than the intermediate portion of such section. Surrounding the intermediate portion of the section 70, as well as the section 71, is a bearing sleeve 77 and which abuts against the flange 76.

Extending through each opening 61 is a sleeve 78 which surrounds the sleeve 77 and also abuts against the flange 76. Formed integral with the sleeve 78 is a laterally extending annular flange 79 which abuts against the inner face of a side wall of the tub 58 and terminates in an inwardly extending collar 80 which projects beyond the inner end of the sleeve 78. The inner face of the collar 80 is of bevelled contour, as at 8-1. A sea-ling disc 82 is positioned on the outer end ofthe sleeve 78 and interposed between said disc 82 and the wall of the tub 58 is a packing member 83. The disc 82 and packing member 83 are suitably secured to the w ll of the tub 58.

Secured upon the outer reduced portion 74, of the section 70 is the hub'84c of a crank 85. The crank 85 is of greater length than the crank 22 and is pivotally connected as at 86 to the yoke 66. Secured on the reduced portion 74, of the section 71, andpi'votal'ly connected to the yoke 67, is a crank arrangement, similar to the crank 85 and which is indicated generally by the reference character 87 and which is pivotally connected to the yoke 67 of the rod and the crank upon the section 71 is of greater length than the crank 21. The crank on, the section 71 extends in an opposite direction with respect to the crank on the outer end of the sections70. By this construction the sectional shaft arranged within the chamber 59 has an oscillatory movement imparted thereto and which provides for a reciprocatory movement of the pounder mechanism to be presently referred to.

The polygonal portion 73 of the section 68, or the polygonalportion'73 of the section 69, is adapted to be coupled to the polygonal portion 75 of. the sections 7 O or 71, and; for this purpose a spring controlled slidable sleeve 88 is provided and which is formed with a polygonal shaped inner face, engaging with the portion 72 whereby the sections 68, 69, 70 and 71 will operate in unlson.

The sleeve 88, intermediate its ends is formed with a peripheral shoulder 89. P0- sitioned. against the inner end of the sleeve 88 and sliding on a'section ('38 or 69 is a disc 90, which abuts against the shoulder 91 formed on the innerface of a shifting sleeve 92-for the sleeve 88. The inner face of the sleeve 92 is furthermore provided with a. shoulder'93 which abuts against the shoulder 89. The sleeve 92 at its forward end is provided with. a laterally extending oval flange 94:terminating in a collar 95 having a beveled outerface which associates with the beveled innerface of the collar 80.

Mounted on the sections 68 or 69 is the outer sleeve 96 of a bearing element 96 and said sleeve is formed with an offset portion 97, and interposed between the offset portion 97 and the section 68 or 69 is a coiled spring which surrounds the section 68 or 69 and abut-s against the disc 90. The spring is indicated at 98. The offset portion 97 of the sleeve 96 is keyed, as at 97, to the inner face of the sleeve 92 and a bearing element 99 is interposed between the sleeves 92 and 96 in proximity to the offset portion 97 of the sleeve 96. The sleeve 92 at its inner end is formed with a laterally extending annular extension 100 to facilitate the shifting thereof to withdraw the sleeve 88 from engagement with the portion 7501 the section 71 for the purpose of uncoupling the section 68 or 69 from the section or 71 respectively. The sleeve 88 is termed a coupling element for connecting the sections referred to together.

Mounted on the section 68 or 69 and spaced from the sleeve 95, is the inner or short sleeve 101 of the element 96 and said sleeve 101 has an enlarged portion 102, to provide a shoulder 103. Mounted on the reduced portions of the sleeves 101 and abutting against the shoulders 103, as well as enclosing the bearing sleeve 72, is an elon gated sleeve 10 1-. The sleeves 101 are maintained in spaced relation by the sleeve 104-. The inner end of the sleeve 96 is formed with an enlarged portion 105 which opposes the enlarged portion 102 of the sleeve 101.

The sections 68 and 69 of the oscillatory shaft carry the pounder mechanism and the latter comprises two pair of pounder elements in the form of vacuum cups and the said elements are so arranged that the elements of each pair will alternately raise and lower. The pairs of pounder elements operate simultaneously so that when one of the elements of each pair moves clownwardly the other element of each pair will move upwardly or in other words the pounder elements of each pair are reciprocatecl but in opposite directions with respect to each other. The pounder mechanism is fixedly secured to the oscillatory shaft, so that when the sections 68 and 69 thereof are disconnected from the sections 70, 71 thereof, the sections 68 and 69 with the pounder mechanism can be removed from the chamber 59 to permit of supplying clothes to the chamher or remove washed clothes therefrom. One end of each of the sections 68 and 69 is coupled to each of the sections 70 and 71 respectively to provide for the operation of the pounder mechanism. The coupling elements or sleeves 88 bodily move with the oscillatory shaft and a bearing 106 is interposed between each sleeve 88 and a sleeve 92. The controlling springs 98 maintain the coupling sleeves 88 in coupling position with respect to the polygonal shaped portions of the sections 70 and 71.

The enlarged portions 102 and 105 of the sleeves 101 and 96 are connected together by a depending yoke 107. Positioned between the sleeves 96 and 101 is a block 107, which is fixed to a shaft section. By this arrangement the elements 101 and 96 are an integral structure and which oscillates with its respective section 68 or 69. To the block 107 is secured the pounder mechanism and the connection is such that one element of one pair of pounder elements moves upwardly sin'iultaneously with an element of the other pair and the other elements of the pairs of pounder elements move downwardly simultaneously.

The pounder mechanism comprises two pair of vacuum cups, the elements ofone pair are indicated at 108 and 109 and the elements of the other pair at 110 and 111. The elements 108 and 109 are provided respectively with vertically disposed stems 112, 113. The elements 110 and 111 are provided with stems 11 i, 115 respectively. The elements of each pair are arranged in spaced relation.

Fixedly secured to each block 107 is actuating member for reciprocating in opposite directions the pounder elements of each pair, and the actuating member for the cups 108, 109 is referred to generally by the reference character 116 and the actuating element or member for the cups 110, 111, is re ferred to generally by the reference char acter 117. Each actuating member is constructed from a length of spring metal formed of a centrally disposed yoke 118 and a pair of oppositely extending arms 119,

120. The yokes 118 are secured to the blocks 107 by the holdfast devices 121. The arm 119 of the element 116 is pivotally connected, as at 122 to the upper end of thestem 112 and the arm 120 of the member 116 is pivotally connected, as at 123 to the upper end of the stem 113. The arm 119 of the member 117 is pivotally connected, as at 1241 to the upper end of the stem 114:. The arm 120 of the member 117 is pivotally connected, as at 125, to the upper end of the stem 115. The stem 112 is connected to the stem 113, by a pair of links 126, pivotally connected, as at- 127 to the stern 112 and as at 128 to the stem 113. The stem 114: is connected to the stem 115 by a pair of links 129 pivotally connected, as at 130 to the stem 11 1 and as at 131 to the stem 115.

Depending from the bearing element 96 formed by the yoke 107 in connection with the sleeves 96 and 101 is a hanger referred to generally by the reference character 132. The rod 126 is pivotally connected at its center to one of the hangers 132, and the rod 129 is pivotally connected at its center to the other hanger 132,. By connecting up the p'ou-nder elements, that is the 'va'cu'mn cups to the resilient actuating members 116, means is provided to prevent the pounder -elements from collapsing by the overloading of the chamber 59 with clothes andwater and further means is providedfor the automatic adjustment of such elements with respect to the dili e ait loads of clothes supplied to the chamber 59.

The tub 58 is provided with a shallow cover 138, formed with handles 13%, and the cover is so constructed that it can be reversed and used for assorti n g or storing clothes.

It is thougl rt that the iii-any advantages of a machine for washing clothes, in accord ance with this invention, can be readily understood, and although the preferred embodiment of the invention is as illustrated and described, yet it is to be understood that changes in the details of constrnction'can be had which wi ll'tall witl rinthe scope of the invention as claimed.

WVhat we claim is LA machine :tor thepurpose set forth comprising a washing chamber, asectional oscillatory shaft extending through said chamber, a pair of spaced actuating members carried by said shaft and siirmltaneo'u'sly os cillated thereby, a pair o-fpounder elements connected'to and operated in alternate directions by each ot'szrid actuating men-rbers, meansfor oscillating said shaft, and me ns whereby the sections of said shaft and w the po'u-nder elements can be removed from said chamber, each of said actuating members consisting of ayoke-shaped central portion fixed to a shaftsection and further ineluding a pair'of oppositely extending resilient arms.

2. A machine-tor the purpose set forth comprising two pairs of pounder elements, a resilient actuating member-tor each pair ofpounder elements, oscillatory means for taneously said members, means for fixedly securing said members intermediate their ends to said oscillatory means, a rod pivotal'ly connected at its ends to the pounder elements of each pair, and means "for pivotally connecting said rods intermediate their ends to said oscillatory meal-rs for Said members.

A machine for the purpose set forth comprising a washing cl'iamber, a removab e, sectional, oscillatory shaft extending across said chamber andpro-jecting through opposed wall portions of said chamber, bearing elements secured to said'opposed wall portions, a pair of spaced actuating members fixedly secured to said shaft and simuloperated thereby, a pair of pounder elements depending from and operated in alternate directions by each of saic actuating elements, on the oscillation of said shaft, means arranged exterior-1y of the wall "of said chamber and connected with the ends of said shaft for oscillating the latter, and means mounted on the shaft within said chamber and detachably engagin with said bearing elements for removably securing the shaft in position.

4. In a machine for the purpose set forth, a poundor mechanisin' comprising an actuating member formed of a yoke and a pair of oppositely extending resilient arms, a pair of powder elements, each of said elements including a stem pivotally connected with the outer end of an arm, a rod pivotalj'ly connected at its ends to the stems of said pounder elements and arranged below the upper ends of said stems, and means for fixedly securing said yoke and said rod to an oscillating means for said actuating member.

In testimony whereof, we allix our signatures hereto.

HAROLD F. VIEAU. ROY C. HIGBY. EDWVARD J. ONEILL. 

